Archive for August, 2014

This is a 12” edition of the 33-minute long Vilkacis debut EP originally released by Psychic Violence Records on cassette last year, Vilkacis being the one-man vehicle of Fell Voices drummer / vocalist Michael Rekeviks (so I had a fair idea what to expect here). Musically, there are no real surprises.

It’s like a stripped down, more minimal version of FV (doh!); very simplistic, quite repetitive, reasonably enjoyable.

Out of curiosity alone, this was worth buying and it is well worth owning as a collectible item. It’s not amazing, but ‘The Fever Of War’ is still pretty damn good. An okay purchase but hardly an essential one.

I’m not sure any more about these cheap-looking, flimsy single-sheet (card) gatefold jackets popularised by the underground, either. It’s not a proper record sleeve but consumers are still asked to pay proper prices. Feels and looks cheap (especially when the back cover is printed on sideways). Also, apparently all copies come with a free digital download. Except mine, obviously…

My long-suffering regular reader (hey, Phil!) will no doubt have detected a (welcome?) slowdown in activity in recent weeks and months. This is my first post in twelve days. When time is limited and releases increasingly homogeneous, inspiration to generate thoughts and then put words to said thoughts can be hard to unearth. Thus, I have little to say these days.

This record is okay but it is hardly essential. Average, melodic Black Metal is on the menu. Nothing more. And it is very melodic. Some people find NSBM offensive; it certainly can be when there is so much melody involved…

Nice presentation with poster and inlay (including lyrics), but really ‘Wotan Redivivus’ is about as menacing and / or dangerous as Woods of Desolation or The Cult. Hardly Black Metal at all (‘Blood And Spirit’ sounds like Manic Street Preachers with a sore throat (so does the comatose ‘As This World Ends’)) and therefore a big disappointment.

Sickeningly, there is an increasing number of so-called Black Metal bands who seem to place more emphasis on being the next big thing than being dark and black. Black Metal is not a place for Yngwie Malmsteen wannabe motherfuckers. Thankfully, there are still a select few artists who just don’t give a shit about melodies, production or technicality. Or anything.

As one of the hordes that comprise Portugal’s seething Black Circle movement, Vetala is as coarse and rough and raw and ready-made as they come. Cavernous, dungeon Black Metal that was vomited forth onto tape by a bunch of crazed fuckers who are interested in only one thing: filth. Plague and pestilence and piss abound in a pitiful racket on the unbelievably-inaccessible ‘The Lord Of Eternity’.

This album is an uncompromising, crude shitfest that follows no rules but Vetala’s. It’s a pure, demented, chaotic mess from start to finish, to be honest, and I’m really not sure why I enjoy listening to such insanity. Glorious crap.

Somewhere along the way, the true meaning of Black Metal has been lost. It was never about who can sell the most records, who can get signed to a bigger label or who is the most technically proficient at playing their instrument(s). Black Metal is supposed to be an expression of hatred, contempt and defiance. It is music for outsiders and it should therefore be performed by outsiders.

Orlok gets this. Werwolf doesn’t give one flying fuck whether you like his music or not. In fact, he would probably prefer if you hated it. Because he hates you. That is clear in everything he does and says. ‘Black Funeral Holocaust’ is proper Black Metal – raw, misanthropic, Satanic and full of negative energy.

It has become increasingly difficult to find genuine, sincere Black Metal that is imbued with non-commercial sentiment, that shies away from the mainstream and carries the torch of hate (thus the dearth of posts here recently). Let’s be clear, people are scum. The world is teeming with worthless, pitiful beings who are deserving only of death. Death and pain and suffering should be celebrated. Because we are all cunts.

At a time when dumb fucks like Satyricon, Watain, Burzum, Abigor, Mayhem, Wolves In The Throne Room, Nachtmystium (I could go on and on and on with that list…) are doing everything in their power to completely misrepresent Black Metal and bastardise it beyond recognition, Orlok is a welcome dose of reality.

Canadian clusterfuckers Nuclearhammer share a member with Adversarial and their logo was drawn by the guitarist / vocalist from Antediluvian, with whom they once collaborated on a three-way split. This information should give you a very clear indication as to what to expect from their second full-length ‘Serpentine Hermetic Lucifer’, a chaotic 45-minute offering which appears some five years after their ‘Obliteration Ritual’ debut (which I haven’t heard).

Think pneumatic drills rather than guitars; grating metal rather than vocals; sledgehammers smashing off galvanised steel more so than drums; more mace than bass. A man of my age shouldn’t derive any satisfaction whatsoever from such an unmerciful racket. But this is truly fantastic life-affirming stuff. Bestial, necro Black Death at its finest.

A sublime gatefold jacket with lyric sheet and poster seals the deal. But cursed fuck on that dumb etching on Side D.

Teratism’s fourth full-length was released four years ago but only recently received the double-vinyl treatment. The records come in a classy black-and-white gatefold cover, with lyrics printed on the inside. Interesting lyrics they are, too. Teratism is an evil and Satanic horde and they conjure up a suitably nasty and unrestrained dose of virile and vile underground Black Metal malevolence.

Raw, raucous, possessed, wholesome and potent as a witch’s tit, ‘Via Negativa’ is without doubt a trip worth taking. The etching on Side D does nothing for me but this otherwise represents a fantastic release with some truly enjoyable USBM to sink your rotting teeth into.

It’s a landmark year for sure for Death Metal titans Incantation. The release of their tenth studio album coincides with their 25th anniversary. Whoda thunk a band as obscure as this could last so long? ‘Dirges Of Elysium’ is another high-quality offering from the trusty Americans and is worthy of a place in any collection.

Okay, there’s nothing new or radical going on here but that’s surely not what Incantation acolytes are looking for. These guys are masters of their chosen art form at this stage and this album is a solid, dependable slab of evil-sounding, superbly-executed, creepy-crawly death.